Thank you, Kaedejun! A great recap of the best episode of IAL since episode 1 started off with so much emotional depth and clarity.

I also loved this episode to pieces. And I'll go out on a limb and say that I am loving Kim Seung Soo's Ji Wook so much, he's such bastard on paper, but KSS's performance is out of this world nuanced, I'm feeling him as much as I feel all sorts of love and sympathy for Seol Hee.

I doubt they'll reconcile, and I don't want them to, but unless TH brings it in the next few eps, I'll end IAL with Seol Hee and Ji Wook imprinted on my brain.

BEST. EPISODE. EVAAA.

My feelings exactly, mostly because THE DIVORCE TRIAL IS OVERRR! And it ended in a way that I can accept. At first, I was so mad that Seol Hee didn't show the evidence and wanted to throw my laptop at the wall or something, but as I continued watching the video, I felt really moved. Seeing Ji-wook being so dorky and happy was SUPER weird, but it was really sad at the same time because he was like the polar opposite of the Ji-wook we've seen for the last seven episodes. Also, it would have been out of character for Seol-hee to show the evidence so I can accept it, even though it did piss me off for about ten minutes, especially with all the build up to it.

And YESSS, I knew that feeling of chemistry between Soo-in and Tae-hyun a couple of episodes ago wasn't for nothing. I'm very interested in where this will go, mostly because I'm still pulling for Soo-in and Tae-hyun over Seol-hee and Tae-hyun. In fact, I would probably like Seol-hee to be single for the rest of the drama because I definitely feel like this is a journey of finding yourself and after getting out of such a nasty marriage/family, Seol-hee needs some time to set herself straight.

LOVED the scene where they were dancing to Genie. Those moments where the girls are just having fun, like the five minutes the ahjummas are paying attention to them at the supermarket and the elevator scene, are pretty much the best ones to me.

Now that the divorce is over, I'm interested to see where the drama will start heading, especially since we're already at the half-way mark. Whew, this was a really long comment. Thanks for the recap kaedejun!

Thanks for all the wonderful recaps, sometimes I even enjoy them more than the actual series!!

I too think that this episode is the best so far. I honestly watched this episode a few times. I'm especially intrigued by ji wook's facial expression when seol hee rejected his $$.
Ah, this episode is good for my soul.

Thanks for the recaps. As always they are great

this episode made me fall for ji wook. bring back the dorky guy from the video!!!

you know i was expecting and anticipating for seol hee to break out the incriminating CD so badly. i was thinking to myself YES this girl is finally going to get justice. but the wedding/post wedding DVD was really a twist. it made me ball my eyes out like ah reum. even though complete justice wasn't given to seol hee from my opinion, it showed what her character really was and now we know for sure and understand who seol hee is as a human being.

this drama is turning out so much better than what i thought. i think im actually going to watch this till the end unlike personal taste and cinderella's sister :P

I've only watched eps 7 & 8, so I can't judge if this was my favorite episode, but I have to say i loved it! i felt for all the characters i was supposed to feel for, and got mad at the others, lol. i'm not big on shows that are straight dramas, but this one might have just caught my interest! can't wait for this week's episodes!

Hee! I was hoping you would mention the elevator scene in this recap :D This ep was chock-full of awesome moments - the wedding video scene gutted me, too - but the dance sequence was my absolute favorite.

Still shipping Seol-hee/Tae-hyun, if any romance does happen, but I agree that the love triangle would add a very interesting twist to the story. It'll certainly keep me watching, now that there's now a divorce verdict.

I'm also excited to see what happens to the band now that they're getting some recognition!

"I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS EPISODE! I don’t know why, I just do."

I was seriously thinking of giving up on this show, because it was taking so very long to get out of the divorce that wouldn't end. I still feel that the first 6 episodes worth of divorce stuff should have been all in the first 2 and this show be about the band's development and Seol Hee finding a real place for herself again in both love and music, but I will take what I can get.

The other reason for giving it up...everyone but the band members are evil, mean, or up to something. Finally we have TRUE signs of remorse from the now ex-husband. The other male lead is not just being back handedly nice to her but showing true concern(more episode 7). And even Seung Hye has broken past mega-b!t@h and into a land of microscopic audience sympathy.

This episode changed my mind. Not only because the divorce finally went through but because she isn't so weak and silly like in previous episodes where she denied herself a lawyer or continuously walked into obvious traps. (You lived with the lying fake a$$ people for years. Did you seriously think they would go easy on a person they hate?)

We also have a forward picture for the Seol Hee character. Writers finally laid down the foundation to move in a direction that could take the band and the lead to an interesting story. The band getting the small gigs and the big break, how all of them deal with the struggle in there respective families on the road to moderate success or even making it big. What Seol Hee will do with her new relationship or her old one once she can stand securely on her own. What the ex's reaction will be to seeing his old wife. The woman he fell in love with vs. that broken thing we saw at the beginning.

I am looking forward to the next episode of this show for the first time. Please don't disappoint me.

I am soooo loving IAL. The show resonates with me big time, because I had just gone through a divorce myself. Many would probably not understand why Seol Hee decided not to show the incriminating CD/evidence. But I totally understand why she did it. And I'm happy she chose the high road and "preserved" herself in the process. Divorce is destructive enough as it is; you don't have to annihilate your former spouse to formalize your separation, because if you take a vindictive path, you will just end up destroying yourself.

The courtroom scene and Seol Hee's monologue made me cry, and even your recap made me tear up too. Whew, you're right, kaedejun, this episode hit all our emotional buttons at various times.

So now, Seol hee's journey towards healing and redemption starts, with the band as her vehicle, her new job, her friends and possibly a new love (?) contributing in the process. I am so excited.

Thanks for the great recap and giving me the chance to re-live that episode again.

Thank you for the recap!

At first, like many other people on soompi, I was pissed that Seol Hee didn't show the incriminating CD. I wanted to see Ji Wook and Seung Hye taken down a few notches, but as time went on, I really admired what Seol Hee did. She's clearly a better person than me. I think by using her marriage CD, she was also able to cleanly end her relationship with Ji Wook. When she met with him and told him that she hoped they would not see each other again, it became clear that the door to any association with each other is closed for good. I don't know if that would have been possible had she chosen to use the affair CD instead; the anger on both sides might have hindered them from moving on with their lives 100%.

I know the drama is only midway through so I'd gladly take back what I say later on, but at this point, I can't see Tae Hyun and Seol Hee together. Maybe if the writers had portrayed Seol Hee's marriage in a more two dimensional way (but which I would not have liked), I could get behind the pairing, but as it is, until recently SH cared for her husband so much. I can't see her getting into another relationship anytime soon, and if she does, we have a word for that: it's rebound, buddy.

I'm also kind of scared of the tension that may develop between SH and SI. I love their friendship so much. The camaraderie among the girls is one of the highlights of the show for me.

The divorce case finally is over, hooray! Thanks for the wonderful recap! Lawyer Go Jin Bae is wonderful, I really like this character in the drama!! One thing is strange that I thought Seung Hye would have lost the case and she was so angry that she had never lost even one divorce case in her life, isn't that the case? Now it turns out that she won!? Poor Soo In, she probably won't get what she wants, though i do look forward to the Seolhee/ Tae Hyun/ Soo In triangle, it got to be interesting!

Peeheehee seol hee isnt doing the leg move backwards! both verisons of the leg flip exist in the dance.
ok now lemme finish reading

Great!!! Thank you......

One vote for Tae Hyun - Soo In here!

ok so:
I SO cried during the trial DVD. It was just so sad that that ji-wook and Seol-Hee once existed but theu became this. But even more than that, I was sad because of the unborn baby. During the honeymoon segment I just thought of how hard it would have been for Seol-Hee when she lost the child.

I agree with a statement from a previous recap, the role is better with Jung-eun than Sun-ah. I feel like Sun-ah would have portrayed Seol-hee's vulnerability and sadness differently, and I like it as it is.

And like my mom says, I think Seol-hee is a little unrealistic of a character. throughout the drama so far, her understanding, forgiving, lets-not-dwell-on-it mindset is just odd. Who has such great, unbiased control over their emotions?

So glad I can respond without being a spoiler. I watched this Ep RAW...and was first angry then so moved by her actions. Then watched it again and again angry then moved by her actions. The biggest surprise for me was Ji Wook....all I could think of was Seol Hee's words to him that he loved her in the beginning, that they loved each other...and showing the cd was testament to that. He saw himself, what he was and what he became...I think his mother was shocked at seeing that man also.
I so agree with the recap...loved this episode. I for one though
dont want a Soo in and Tae hyun connection hope the writers arent going for the Coffee House thing...ewwwww.
Anyway...I am really enjoying I Am Legend....even the music!

I liked this episode but I had to leave my brain in the gutter. My biggest peeve was when she didn't show the incriminating evidence. I know WHY she did it but it kind of felt flat to me. Thank goodness for Kim Jung Eun or else I would've HATED it. That girl can make a lame speech sound heartfelt and cry so naturally. I mean, it certainly seems great that she showed a video clip depicting Ji Wook and her past love for each other and thus reminding Ji Wook that he did love his wife before... but it's totally not realistic. I know, I know. This is a drama...but really? I feel that this drama is oversimplifying really complicated issues and I don't like it. So much more could be explored if only the writer went into that kind of depth. I'm still lovin' Kim Jung Eun though --and wishing that Go Eun Mi (Ran Hee) and Hong Ji Min (Hwa Ja) would stop acting so OTT.

Thanks for the recap, Kaedejun! <3

I agree with kaedejun, this is so far, the BEST episode of IAL.

I'm still positive for a happy ending involving Seol Hee and Tae Hyun coz' they both deserves a second chance...in LOVE. Like i do, ; )

Now i wonder if Ji Wook will pursue Sol Hee again, i would love love to see that happen in the future, where he will come to Sol Hee again, and the love square starts.

i think with the DVD, Seol Hee had a closure for her relationship with Ji Wook, as someone pointed out. She can now move on with her life w/o looking back. It's a drama, so it was obvious that she would choose a high road - but I think sometimes, it doesnt hurt the drama if they let her show the DVD instead - cause at least, it'd be what happens in reality.

Anyway, what I dont think is clear was. what was the point of the trial? if JW had lost, what would he have to do? pay her? At first, she wanted divorce and he didn't. so they went to see the judge and basically, I thought that if it was dismissed, she would not be able to divorce. But in the end, it has to go to court.... and then what? i'm confused hehe

It was also the best episode so far for me too. Was also too emotional during the court scenes. Great recap as always!Been waiting for it and checking every now and then for this recap. Many thanks.

Loving the series so far and I am so hoping for a connection between SH and TH they have good chemistry and she did have a crush on him. I think it would be magic for these two to end up together, TH also has a son who SH would be good with. I am all for this pairing. They have both suffered now its time for some loving.

I kind of wish the romance side of it pulled me in more, though. Not feeling it anymore, or maybe just right now =/

IDW but I really just like Soo In, and I hope that she ends up with someone, wishing it it TH. There is just something about her that resonates with me from the 1st episode when she barged in and yelled at him for taking her band, I was feeling the sparks.

thank u so much.... this episode was great. i kinda agree that she did the right thing of not showing the incriminating evidence.

don't know i like soo in/ tae hyun..........or sol hee/ tae hyun. but it would be very interesting if ji wook pursued sol hee again.

Best eps?? Me not thinking so as me-self disliking the writer's philosophy of "good person"

Playing noble in a dirty fight is not HERIOC, it's IDIOTIC. And deny the money she deserves for all those suffering years is just .... ARGGG !!!!

Soel-Hee frustrated me to no end this episode. Her reasoning that showing the video would have made her just like Ji-wook and Seung-Hye made no sense. They attacked her with lies. All she is doing is revealing the truth. I know they are trying to show that she is the bigger person but, for all her talk about living courageously, all her interactions with Ji-wook and his family still come off as simpering... except maybe the scene where she didn't take the money (also stupid because, HELLO, you have no money, no job and no marketable skills besides awesome guitar playing). I know that, plot-wise, they didn't use the evidence so that later on we can have the inevitable (and probably alcohol-induced) scene where Ji-wook wants her back and she spends two episodes angsting about it. But still, in what universe does someone think that showing a wedding video in a divorce case is a good idea?

Also, I didn't like that she stopped playing at the supermarket. If you're seriously going to make a career out of music, you NEVER stop playing, no matter how many people are buying meat during your performance.

I've said that I liked episode 8 even though I got bored in ep 7.
a lot of important developments, hah?
as I'm more interested in love-lines, I want to see SH-JW together or SH aline but not with TH. so far, I couldn't get any good chemistry from them.
also, soo in's reaction was interesting after hearing about TH.
btw, I find JW very attractive ( I've said that before) and to be able to see his other charming side was awesome, too. while he was being a devil, I got no problem with that but on the video he was also cute. after the trial, his confusion and maybe regret was obvious.
we'd got some hints about SH's still loving JW, so even if it seems a little hope, I'm root for SH-JW....

Loved the girls dancing to SNSD...hehe. Did anyone notice that the scene cut to a video cam in the corner of the elevator during that scene? I wonder if it'll become a plot device later on, along the lines of them becoming a hit on the internet w/ a video of them dancing?

kaedejun, please please please recap more dramas! I love your style, it's different from javabeans and girlfriday but oh so sweet.. please continue, you've done a fantastic job with I Am Legend so far. Thanks!

thanks kaedejun... i haven't watched a single episode but just kept reading your recaps. Still I'm lovin it as if I had really watched it...

I'm glad the divorce trial is over. For me it took too many eps, this show was turning into a 'lawyer' show.

I kinda get it.... SH showed the video to prove that they indeed love each other, at least from my point of view. There are people like that, the kind that just can not take it if it means hurting someone else so much, especially intentionally, especially if one loved the other person hmmm... just like how she warned JW when she felt that the scary guy with the tape is dangerous...I mean she did not want him dead even if she did hate him...also revealing the tape will not harm only JW but the whole family..his reputation as a lawyer and may harm his dreams what so ever, so if that sex tape got revealed, JW world will be tampered, it may even end. No one in the right mind will actually vote someone who is busted to be a complete liar and a two-faced who set up his own wife...So SH, knowing his husband's career,dreams and reputation on her hands, may really have second thoughts. I remember she said at the first episode that even if JW is cold, her heart still beats around him...It was like, She did love him and cared for him, she planned to live the rest of her life with him, and there are good memories which she can not forget..for that someone she cared about so much, making that someone's life a complete mess will be a hard task. Her real goal anyway was to divorce.. the only reason they came in the court was not because of money involved, SH wants divorce, JW wants the sympathy of the mass for his image by pretending to be wronged by SH...I actually like how she walked away coolly, with a smile

out of topic but anyone noticed that seung hye was on dal ja's spring drama, the one who was the ex wife of the 2nd male lead if Im not mistaken...she was acting as some lunatic there lol

thanks kaedejun for the great recap! i am glad SH didn't show the video.. and kim jung eun is one good actress, i couldn't help but cry during the video and the speech.. i was also wondering what happened to the JW in the video? he seemed so wonderful then, i would definitely root for him, if he didn't change though. nevertheless, i am still hoping TH will be the OTP.

I fall into the camp that's angry that the CD didn't get shown. I understand why she didn't show it, but the fact tat the information didn't spread is just unjust. Someone else could just have easily have brought it in. Her reputation has been horribly trashed over the course of this case and her husband is going to come out looking squeaky clean.

i LOVED(!!!) this episode (esp after the non-event ep 7)

re: the DVD

while it was (humanly) frustrating yes ... i TOTALLY APPLAUDED Seol-hee's final decision.

there's one important (to me) point no one seemed to have picked up:
Seol-hee did NOT come by this damning dvd by HER OWN sleuthing or investigative efforts.

that DVD came by her way as a fluke stroke of wild fantastic luck. this would mean:
1) using, and being dependent on someone's efforts and resourcefulness. (what did she do really?? nothing).
2) and then further dependence ... being spoon-fed the evidence. having it delivered to her in court - WITHOUT her knowledge. (through the efforts of the lawyer + Tae-Hyun's delivery arrangements)

to me if she had used it, it would be CONTRARY to her path to SELF-RELIANT INDEPENDENCE.
she shouldn't need to rely on so many people.

======

while it would be a real showdown ... it would have left her empty. and she would have dragged herself down to their dirty unethical level.

HOLLOW VICTORY.
while she would have won hands-down, she contributed nothing of her own to that victory.

Seo Hee's not that type of person. i LOVED this convincing twist. writing this in just convinced me she is a person with strength of character.
(BY ACTIONS ... not be sheer words. which too many feminists out there sometimes utter too freely, but do not/cannot really practise).

i do NOT this is just a drama scenario. i think some real-life women would choose the same decision.

graceful. and dignified. even if stupid :)

======

i see it as better to exit like that, and live her own life well. with pride that she emerged out of it on her own steam.

that's the sweeter 'revenge' and healthier for moving on. than to plot, scheme, look upon other people for further help and resources.

and if she plays dirty or schemes some more like everyone else is encouraging er ... she's no better than them - it would just add toxicity to her life.

detrimental for moving on.

i totally agree this episode was AMAZING
and ji-wook my god his eyes! his eyes are amazing and so incredibly expressive especially when seol-hee tells him they shouldn't see each other anymore and you see him blink and the way his eyes simply become.
absolutely amazing. i hope there won't be a strike because i am in love with this drama

also seunghye is a bitch.
:/

As a rule, I don't like the lead (female, in particular) to end up alone. I want loves and hugs and kisses to send off a series. However, I'm thinking that I will be completely content if SH is still single to the bone. I just can't see her moving forward quite yet. It's too soon.

Hm.. I guess that means a time leap is forthcoming.

Did anyone else wonder if the words of her courtroom speech reflected how Kim Jung Eun (the person, not her character) feels toward her fiance (the lead actor in Yi San)?

Am I even allowed to mention that? It seems so personal. But I remember hearing about the engagement and how noble the couple seemed to be, taking it slowly, taking marriage seriously. Then, kabam: he broke it off. She cried about it on Chocolate. It sounded like it had something to do with his mom.

Back to the drama: I'm really enjoying it. It has a mature feel. How cool would it be to have Ji Wook and Seol Hee rekindle their love (in the sense that it hasn't been done before). I always thought that the attempt to rekindle your first love was so lame, even though it has been enjoyable to watch in its many forms. But JW and SH had a deep relationship affected by other people, which affected them as individuals. They don't even have to end up together.

I don't think she'll say, "Ha! Want me now, do you?" I think it'll have more of a mellow ending, whichever way it goes.

P.S. Did Seung Hye really say that she has loved JW since BEFORE she married Tae Hyun? I must have been snoozing at that part! I can't believe she'd do that. Did I read the last recap incorrectly?

I kinda followed dramabeans recap rather the drama but thought this episode was awesome and of course I continue with ep 9!

Given this is a Korean drama, I think Seul-Hee would end up with Tae Hyun which is what I'm rooting for too.

To me, every relationship has a timing, if you miss *big* time, you miss forever. The husband's regret came a bit too late in my opinion. And, the fact that it's bothering him is more on he realized how much she loves him, not how much he loves her, and something what they have before (which is already gone).

Your recaps are always remarkable, thanks a lot. Love this drama so far...I was rocked by the twist, the writer put on SH's reactions to JW's infidelity...hahah too good to be true...this left them a possiblity of reconciliation. FIGHTING!

i felt like singing 'all the woman who's independent, throw your hands up at meeee' (sort of like that)

i really adore their friendship and wish that someday i will be like them too

clap clap for the Show :)

Oh i hope Ji-wook will leave seung-hye and pursue again Seol-Hee. If that happens, it will like a big slap to his Mom and Seung Hye. Because it means Ji-wook would finally leave his Mother's skirt.

Then Tae-hyun and Soo In will end up together =).